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shannanh's review against another edition
3.0
I was able to finish it. It took me a while, but I didn't really get the hype.
thelexingtonbookie's review against another edition
4.0
A heartbreaking love story, set in Kentucky, in the midst of a snowstorm? Yes, please.
The reader is introduced to Eamon Royce, a Louisville cop, and his brother, Dalton, a bike-shop owner. These boys were born six days apart, grew up together, and their mothers had been best friends. When Dalton's mother passed away, the Royce's adopt Dalton and treat him like he had always been a part of the family- because he had been.
When Eamon meets Evangeline "Evi", a dancer and ballet teacher, he knew he it was love at first sight, and that one day they would be married. From there, it's a blissful whirlwind romance. Eamon knows Evi worries about him while he's on duty, but she never once asked him to give up the job he loves.Deciding that he'll do anything to make sure that Evi is always taken care of, he makes a pact with Dalton. Dalton agrees that if something were to ever happen to Eamon, he would take care of Evi. Image result for Louisville Police Dept
While miles apart on a fishing trip, Eamon receives a call from Evi- she's pregnant, and he's over the moon, joyous. Dalton can't be more thrilled for the two of them, and he ups the ante with the pact- he will take care of Evi and this unborn child.
Then, the worst and unexpected happens- Eamon is killed in the line of duty, sixteen days before Evi gives birth to baby Noah. She is distraught, and Dalton knows he has to be strong for her, but he's also swallowed by grief. Determined to keep his promise, Dalton makes sure that Noah is loved and cared for, as well as Evi. He knows that no matter what, he will never replace the love that Eamon had for these two, but it's more than the pact keeping him to his promise- it's the fact that these two are his family. He loves them both. And as time passes and the sharp ache from the loss dulls, Evi and Dalton learn that the two of them have more than kind feelings towards each other. Dalton and Evi end up snowed in together with baby Noah at his grandparents. Now, the two of them have a chance to sort out their tangled feelings of past loves and the future of their relationship.Image result for Whiskey & Ribbons
Cross-Smith has made a gorgeous debut novel with Whiskey and Ribbons, and a new fan out of me. The writing is beautiful, and the word choice shows, rather than tells, the reader how the characters feel. I loved the repetition of certain words and phrases, giving them deeper meaning and allowing the reader to roll them in their mouths or swirl them in their minds. And the development of the characters is wonderful, especially Dalton's as the man who has always been in the shadow of Eamon's family.
Overall, it's an intimate story line full of family, faith, love, duty, and grief. I absolutely recommend you give it a read, but prepare to have your heart broken.
The reader is introduced to Eamon Royce, a Louisville cop, and his brother, Dalton, a bike-shop owner. These boys were born six days apart, grew up together, and their mothers had been best friends. When Dalton's mother passed away, the Royce's adopt Dalton and treat him like he had always been a part of the family- because he had been.
When Eamon meets Evangeline "Evi", a dancer and ballet teacher, he knew he it was love at first sight, and that one day they would be married. From there, it's a blissful whirlwind romance. Eamon knows Evi worries about him while he's on duty, but she never once asked him to give up the job he loves.Deciding that he'll do anything to make sure that Evi is always taken care of, he makes a pact with Dalton. Dalton agrees that if something were to ever happen to Eamon, he would take care of Evi. Image result for Louisville Police Dept
While miles apart on a fishing trip, Eamon receives a call from Evi- she's pregnant, and he's over the moon, joyous. Dalton can't be more thrilled for the two of them, and he ups the ante with the pact- he will take care of Evi and this unborn child.
Then, the worst and unexpected happens- Eamon is killed in the line of duty, sixteen days before Evi gives birth to baby Noah. She is distraught, and Dalton knows he has to be strong for her, but he's also swallowed by grief. Determined to keep his promise, Dalton makes sure that Noah is loved and cared for, as well as Evi. He knows that no matter what, he will never replace the love that Eamon had for these two, but it's more than the pact keeping him to his promise- it's the fact that these two are his family. He loves them both. And as time passes and the sharp ache from the loss dulls, Evi and Dalton learn that the two of them have more than kind feelings towards each other. Dalton and Evi end up snowed in together with baby Noah at his grandparents. Now, the two of them have a chance to sort out their tangled feelings of past loves and the future of their relationship.Image result for Whiskey & Ribbons
Cross-Smith has made a gorgeous debut novel with Whiskey and Ribbons, and a new fan out of me. The writing is beautiful, and the word choice shows, rather than tells, the reader how the characters feel. I loved the repetition of certain words and phrases, giving them deeper meaning and allowing the reader to roll them in their mouths or swirl them in their minds. And the development of the characters is wonderful, especially Dalton's as the man who has always been in the shadow of Eamon's family.
Overall, it's an intimate story line full of family, faith, love, duty, and grief. I absolutely recommend you give it a read, but prepare to have your heart broken.
demottar's review against another edition
4.0
Whiskey & Ribbons was so much better than I thought it would be, even considering the terrible, country song title. The narrative style is lyrical and fluid, and is structured pretty brilliantly between three narrators and two timelines, so the story is always propelling forward.
The three main characters are complex and different than what I expected them to be. They break all kinds of stereotypes about what black families, Kentucky families, and adopted families should be, and that brought a freshness to the book. I also appreciated the modern take on the Arthurian love triangle: Evangeline, Eamonn, and Dalton all share a deep bond with the other two, and it complicates everything about their feelings and relationships.
Was this sappy? Yes. Was this a little far-fetched? Yes. But it was also intelligent and enjoyable and worth the read for something a little out of my normal reading comfort zone.
The three main characters are complex and different than what I expected them to be. They break all kinds of stereotypes about what black families, Kentucky families, and adopted families should be, and that brought a freshness to the book. I also appreciated the modern take on the Arthurian love triangle: Evangeline, Eamonn, and Dalton all share a deep bond with the other two, and it complicates everything about their feelings and relationships.
Was this sappy? Yes. Was this a little far-fetched? Yes. But it was also intelligent and enjoyable and worth the read for something a little out of my normal reading comfort zone.
thelizzabee's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 beautifully written. The bredth of emotions the reader goes through while reading this book is breathtaking. Leesa Cross-Smith expertly interweves the story through the 3 main characters point of view. Beautifully heart breaking story of love and grief.
black_girl_reading's review against another edition
3.0
I found myself a bit stifled reading whiskey & ribbons by Leesa Cross-Smith on a couple of fronts. Firstly, despite the third narrator already being dead (this is NOT a spoiler - his death is central to the whole narrative) the majority of the book takes place over a weekend storm in which two people are stuck together in a house and it is dramatic as hell up in there. Secondly, despite the book being an adult novel, and sex being a central topic, the intensity of it felt a bit young adult fiction to me (this book had claustrophobic elements of the sun is also a star that I wasn’t fond of). The constant focus on who had sex with who/when they had sex/if they were having sex/if they were going to have sex read as very juvenile to me. Finally, and I don’t know if the author is aware of this, the social conservatism around women and sexuality was abundantly clear. The men were all able to be complex sexual beings, but the women who had premarital sex were at best captured as somehow more dark, but honestly, were mostly characterized in a “virgin/whore” dichotomy and either disposable, vixens, likeable but desperate or lacking in some way; all of this compared to a central character who was a virgin until marriage and was definitely written as the pure angel of the book. I found it moralizing in a way I wasn’t fond of, I am not okay with religion being used to diminish women who don’t fit a certain profile, and whether Cross-Smith did this intentionally or not (it felt like something she uncritically and unthinkingly contributed to but idk 🤷🏿♀️) it was a huge thorn in my side. So, those were the downsides for me. I did find the content around a major reveal to be very accurate in terms of the pain that parents can create, and the rejection that can happen for children when adults practice self preservation at all costs. I also felt the loss of the third narrator at times, as a wife and mother, and that was very touching. But really, the whole book had a Tyler Perry Woman Thou Art Loosed feel about it with one character in particular, and that is not a compliment. Bad women getting what they deserve, with a thin veil of complexity over an age old way to shame women irked me.
khjb's review against another edition
4.0
Guys, I kind of loved this book. My only complaint is the characters are all eminently likeable (with the exception, perhaps, of Frances) and what kind of complaint is that? The plot line is sad/dramatic, but it didn’t feel maudlin or manipulative to me the way some sad romances can. Think Jojo Moyes but with better writing.
catherineelkhattabystrauch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
madbirks's review against another edition
3.0
A beautiful book by a wonderful author. I initially found this author after someone recommended I read her book This Close to Okay, which she wrote after this one. While I can tell that this was her debut novel, it definitely pulled at my heart strings.
basicbsguide's review against another edition
4.0
“I can hear it coming. Healing. The train tracks leading to my heart are warmed by it. I can put my hand there and feel it hot. It is rattling towards me. Rumbling. The buzzing sound of a flickering light at the end of the tunnel. A grief train rumbling away from us. A healing train coming our way.”
The hardest part for me after losing my Mom almost five short years ago was that the world didn’t stop. I needed time to heal without life “getting in the way”. How was I going to be a mother if I no longer had a mother? Who would I call in the middle of the day for no reason at all, other than to hear their voice?
“My brother Eamon was dead and the world kept going. But not mine. Not my world. F the rest of the world. Mine stopped. Not paused. Stopped.” Leesa you are speaking to my heart and soul here. This couldn’t be a truer statement. This book explores the raw and real emotions one feels after losing someone they love. Life goes on, it must go on, for our children and for us.
Intimate, beautiful and thoughtful, this novel is something I will hold close to my heart for a long time.
The hardest part for me after losing my Mom almost five short years ago was that the world didn’t stop. I needed time to heal without life “getting in the way”. How was I going to be a mother if I no longer had a mother? Who would I call in the middle of the day for no reason at all, other than to hear their voice?
“My brother Eamon was dead and the world kept going. But not mine. Not my world. F the rest of the world. Mine stopped. Not paused. Stopped.” Leesa you are speaking to my heart and soul here. This couldn’t be a truer statement. This book explores the raw and real emotions one feels after losing someone they love. Life goes on, it must go on, for our children and for us.
Intimate, beautiful and thoughtful, this novel is something I will hold close to my heart for a long time.
shaniquekee's review against another edition
4.0
An engrossing novel about love, grief, and family told from three perspectives. The writing is lovely, the characters and complex, but softly so, with gentle layers that prevents any one person from being particularly abrasive.